Imagine Shine’s – the small market stocked with all kinds of curious Mediterranean products along with a friendly kitchen staff, whipping up fresh gyros and kabobs. Olive Tree is a lot like that – except way bigger.

I spent nearly a half hour exploring the 14,500 square-foot space, which has several aisles of Greek, Turkish, Lebanese, Armenian, Eastern European and Middle Eastern; a freezer section of meats; an olive bar; a bakery section; cheeses; and a cafe.

The market has great deals on staples such as extra virgin olive oil – a huge 2-liter canister for $20 as well as smaller bottles for $5. And yes, you can still get a small tub of Shine’s amazing hummus for $4.99. It’s comparable in price to other grocery-store hummus only 10 times better. Then there’s pita for just $1.19 a bag.

Some selections were a bit lacking such as the meat. But, it looked like they were still moving in. There were only a couple of other customers in the entire store. My guess is that no one knows it’s there. So, take note – Olive Tree is a great spot for specialty groceries.

I hear they have an $8.99 lunch buffet. I was there during the evening, so I just ordered the beef kabob platter, which comes with perfectly seasoned beef, onions, a large jalapeno and cherry tomatoes for $8.50. Just like Shine’s used to make.

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